Real Simple reader, Phyllis McMorrow, 42; West Tisbury, Massachusetts
"When Zach and I got married a year ago, we decided we wanted to have a potluck wedding. Having the guests bring the food was like having the community's blessing. We were not especially particular about the planning. I did have a caterer make the hors d'oeuvres and two main courses, and a very dear friend of mine who happens to be a professional baker made the cake. But otherwise we didn't designate which food groups people needed to bring. We just told everybody to bring their best stuff. Knowing that everyone had pulled together for us was what made it so special, not just the food we were eating. One friend made a mozzarella and tomato salad for us and said there were tears in the salad. She got so emotional thinking about us getting married that she started crying while she was making it."